Bridgeway
by xaArzie
Summary: How does it feel to be the muse of an Akatsuki, to have both his hatred and desire all to yourself? Honestly, it's enough to drive a young girl insane. Is there something strong enough to break you to a point that you can love the person who's hurt you?
1. Prologue

Hey guys… this is my first try in writing dark so I hope you like it. Pls review so I know if it's worth continuing.

This chapter's just a prologue so I hope you don't mind that it's a bit dull…the next ones better though, promise :P

Ciao -xaArzie

"_NO! Please! Don't bring me to the river! I don't to go near the bridge! I beg of you, please!"_

_Tears streamed town her elegantly pale face. Her raven locks going rouge to her face and down her back. She pulled and pleaded with the tall, brute of a man who had her by the wrist. She struggled as much as she could but her own petite build could do little. Helpless and raving like mad, the man finally struck her sharply on the cheek, giving her sides a rosy tint which would have been flattering if they were even, and less painful. The young girl shut up and allowed herself to be dragged to a small bridge in the leaf village._

"_Odd little girl! It's only water! Draw some for me."_

_She obeyed. Trembling she took the bucket and filled it to the brim with the cold freshwater from the river. Tears flowed continuously as she drew the water and the more she heard waves crash into the poles of the bridge, the more she cried._

_The old man watched her irritably confused. Drawing water seemed simple enough, but this girl insisted on avoiding it. She gave no qualm when she had to draw water from the well, but the river, most especially the bridge, seemed so fearful to her._

_He huffed as a signal that that was enough. She took the buckets and carried them back to a small hut, not far from the river. She kept her head down the entire time, never looking back at that horrid bridge._

"Where are we going?" A man, if you could call him a man with grotesque scales on his face and a disgusting shade of green for his skin, asked in a rough, whispering, almost hissing voice.

He received no response from his companion, only a chilling, yet thankfully safe glare. They walked on. Thinking nothing of his partner's typical distant concentration, the scaled Akatsuki continued to follow him where he led them to go.

Their travel was silent, no talk of strategy or schemes. The only sounds were their cloaks brushing past the leaves and branches and the light taps their feet made from branch to branch.

After hours and miles he they stopped a compound which seemed to have been roped out to trespassers by an ominous yellow strip.

"Home?" The scaled one almost teased.

His companion hushed him. "You can leave now."

"What?"

"Go. Go back to headquarters. I don't need you anymore."

"What did you need me for in the first place?'

His companion; a tall lean, young man, about in his twenties, with long, sleek ebony hair and sometimes equally dark eyes; glared at him again.

"I said go." He spoke roughly but his voice was smooth and flowing, almost outer worldly. It was soft but it struck chills down the scaled one's spine. He left swiftly with no more qualms.

The man left gave a satisfied huff and walked down the path. He reached the entrance to the compound. To a passerby, it seamed like he simply just touched the yellow tape, but in a split second it snapped, allowing him entrance to the abandoned compound.

The first thing in, he wrinkled his nose. It was old, it smelled old. Most of the plants and flowers had died away and the side stalls sold nothing more. There shouldn't have been a scent here yet there was.

'They hadn't cleaned it yet?' he thought, but no. It wasn't the smell of rotting material. It wasn't the salty-irony scent of blood. It did not smell of his past.

He walked on, trying to deduce the mysterious smell. It was fresh, but it wasn't natural. It was a common smell that didn't belong there, not in a place like that. He finally registered the best word to describe the scent. It was 'homey' if you might.

He followed it to the edge of the compound. He saw smoke.

'A fire?' No, it was from a chimney, from a home.

Strangely feeling offended and trespassed for some reason, he headed towards the small, lonely hut by the river, planning to wreak havoc on whoever dared live in a cursed place like this.

He was almost to the door when he felt need for a thrill in this so he headed for the window instead. He could make out two silhouettes from the dim light inside. As he was about to make his entrance, a chill made him stop. A chill resulting from the unexplained familiarity of a voice he could hear from inside.

He hid atop a nearby branch overshadowing the hut, wishing to hear more of their conversation and maybe realizing why the voice seemed so close to him. Why every rise and fall in the voice seemed to pierce his very being. He didn't like the feeling of pain, maybe because he hadn't felt it in a while. He listened intently.

_She watched the old man, a bit on the rotund side, as he ate, slobbering the bits and chunks of food that missed his lips all over the table. She on the other hand, hadn't touched her plate. Her appetite had abandoned her since that chore by the river. Tha old man seemed to notice._

"_What is it about that place that so scary, eh, little girl? It's only a bridge. I've seen young children fear better things."_

"_I have…memories at that bridge…." She began to answer._

"…_That you're not gonna tell me. Yeah, yeah, I got the story. It's always like that."_

_The girl sighed. She really did have no intention of sharing her life's story with this man. No one knew it, why should he? As far as anyone was concerned, she didn't even exist._

_Tired and frustrated, she excused herself politely to go to bed in her 'room' which was hardly one. A small space separated by a tattered old curtain from the rest of the house was hardly a room. Her only consolation was that behind that curtain was a small window that showed to moon, brightly behind some tree branches._

_Her eyes grew heavy and began to flutter to a close. But before the did, she spotted something that made them shot open again and make her bolt upright on the mat that was her bed. After blinking and rubbing her eyes a couple of times, she put it aside as her horrible imagination. Yet after that she tossed and turned the whole night, not forgetting what she thought she had seen, a monstrous shadow. A tall, dark, silhouette of a man she hardly considered to be human. Though she did not see his face, his memory haunted her mind forever, along with the memory of that bridge._

"AH! There he is! He leads me to the other side of town only to send me back, and he returns with what? Not even a kill to justify his trip!" The scaled Akatsuki bellowed when he saw that his partner had returned to their burrow.

He continued to criticize his partner until that raven haired boy looked his way with his menacing scarlet eyes.

Another of the members of their organization scoffed then looked towards the newcomer's way.

"Where have you been?"

"The edge of Konoha, for a visit." The young one said calmly.

"And what was your point in going there?"

"I've found a new prey"

"A prey? A prey for what?"

"Nothing, just to amuse me... And cure a bit of homesickness while she's at it." He smiled darkly.

**P.S.:**

**Ok the last few lines may be misleading so I'll clear it all up now:**

I would like to inform you that this is not a perverted fic. Sadistic, yes maybe lightly. Romantic and Dramatic, obviously (look at the category). BUT NOT PERVERTED PLS.


	2. 1: At nerve's end

**THREE MONTHS LATER…**

She reached the door but hesitated before she finally knocked.

"Sasuke?" She said meekly, almost in a whisper.

When there came no reply she said again, a little louder this time.

"Sasuke? Hello?"

Still no reply. Gently she pushed the door open, revealing a quiet room with a tidy bed that didn't look like it has been used. Here large emerald orbs grew even larger.

"Sasuke's gone!" She screamed, loud enough for a certain blonde fox boy to hear.

His heart racing, he rushed to where the rose haired medic was.

"Where's he gone?" He demanded.

"I…I don't know. I came to ask him to…to… … But I didn't see anyone!" the young girl stuttered.

"Let's tell master Tsunade. She must know. If we hurry we might catch him…." The blonde decided.

He was just about to leave to see the Hokage when the two suddenly heard a familiar scoff from behind him.

"Why is it that every time I decide to get up early, someone sounds the alarm to have a pack of wolves find me?" The owner of the scoff said in a deep, toneless voice.

Sakura sighed. Naruto turned red. The returned MIA scoffed again, pushing the blonde boy aside so that he could enter his room. He sat on his neatly set bed, the bright sunshine picking out his lean features, including his laid back expression. After a few moments he turned to the rose haired nin who was kneeling by his bed, eyes still showing a few traces of whipped tears.

"Why did you want to see me?"

"I…I…we" she stuttered.

"Yes?" He said impatiently.

"Kakashi-sensei wants to see you, only you." She blurted out.

"Ah well I'll see him later. I don't feel like seeing him now…" He laid back on his once neat bed.

"But… but…"

"Yes?"

"He says it's important….um…about uh…."

"Go on. You're getting really annoying. Just say it."

"He says he has a lead on…on…."

"Just say it, C'mon!"

"Itachi."

In less then a second Uchiha Sasuke had ruched out the room and out the compound, headed to the masked man's office.

The citizens of the leaf village were soon reassured by the blonde fox kid and the pink haired medic that there was no invasion, just Sasuke and his mad whims.

He showed no reaction when the door of his office banged open, almost breaking off.

"I knew you'd come." He said calmly, putting his elbows on his desk and lacing his fingers, a pose for one known to be thinking hard.

"Where is he?" The newcomer demanded

"We don't know"

"Then why am I here!?" The newcomer hit the desk violently, his neat raven bangs messing up.

"I asked Sakura to tell you we had a lead. I did not say he was captured."

"This one better be useful, not like those ridiculous dead ends in the past."

"Oh yes, I think this one will be very useful to us, if she cooperates." The older man behind the desk closed his eyes. Sasuke could not tell if he was simply tired or concerned because of the mask he always wore. The older man stood up silently and beckoned Sasuke to follow him. Hatake Kakashi led him down the hall and then to a small staircase spiraling down. They descended into the eerily quiet and damp chambers.

"A dungeon." Sasuke whispered. He had never been to this part of this building before.

At the end of the stairs was a narrow hallway made of stone. Lining it were torches and barred rooms, empty barred rooms. The y did not go to any them though, they finally stopped at a tall, old wooden door with large, opened brass lock.

The whole time Sir Kakashi was completely silent, anxious, Sasuke guessed, until now.

"When you enter, don't show any reaction, Sasuke. It would be very wise, just to make this easier…for everyone." He warned

Though he did not understand, the raven haired boy agreed. The masked man opened the door.

Inside, already waiting for them was the fifth Hokage, but she did not look at them. Her eyes were fixed on the person across the room from her, a young girl, maybe younger than Sasuke by a couple of years. She looked awful. She had long , dark hair like his that made a mess of her face, pale skin like his that were scared with patches of black, blue and red. He sighed thankfully when he saw that she only had ordinary amber eyes. A quick check using Sharingan revealed that they were, perfectly normal. This let his mind rest somewhat, but only somewhat.

"Who is she?" He was finally able to mouth, after several moments of just staring at her.

"Kohaku, according to a man who claims to be her guardian. H e couldn't give us her family name because he says he doesn't know."

"What use is she supposed to be in my revenge?" He said bitterly, snapping back to his natural cold demeanor.

"In your revenge, nothing. In our search for an S Class missing nin, everything." The Hokage replied just as flatly, never taking her eyes off the girl.

Seeing that this was going nowhere, Kakashi spoke, we found her wondering near the outskirts of Konoha, howling and screaming obscurities. When we brought her back we only learned her name."

"I still don't see the point."

"The man, who claims to be her guardian, is a simple merchant. He lives at the edge of the village near a river, Sasuke, a river that is beside a certain massacred compound. In short, he's now living as a squatter in the Uchiha compound."

"So you think she's important because she's trespassing on my land? I don't think that's evidence."

"If you listened, you'd find that that's not all." Tsunade paused. "Do you hear her, Sasuke? Can you hear what she's mumbling?" she whispered to him.

The girl, who until now still had her head cast down and sat in a slumped position, did seem to be talking very softly. The raven haired boy came closer to hear. His eyes grew at the short words he could make out form what she was saying.

"Itachi… river…mother…cave…Shiori….mother….lover….Itachi…dark cave…."

"What does she mean?" He said in horror.

"That is actually calm for her. Sometimes she shrieks at the top of her lungs or rambles on about her mother, something about ending on a bridge. And then she starts talking about how it's _his_ fault, then talks about a pit or a cave and then screams 'murder,' 'lover' and 'Itachi' over and over again."

The young boy continued to stare at the girl in horror.

"Sasuke," Kakashi went on. "Do you know who Shiori is?" He said seriously.

"N….no."

"Are you sure?"

"I said no!" he tries to leave but the taller his sensei did not allow it.

"Are you sure?" He repeated. "Are you absolutely sure?...or could that be Uchiha Shiori, your cousin, the said sister of Uchiha Shisui, the man whom Itachi murdered on the bridge?" He almost yelled at Sasuke, making him feel his knees weak and slump down on a nearby chair. The boy tried to fight back a large lump that was forming in his thought.

"No…no it couldn't be?!" He fought.

"YES!" Kohaku suddenly yelled. "Mother! Mother!" She kept yelling.

Losing his better judgment, Sasuke argued with the insane girl.

"NO! It can't be her! She died when she was only five! She can't be your mother!"

"A lie! A lie! Alive! Shisui is dead! Shisui is not alive!" She fought back.

Feeling beaten and frustrated, Sasuke gave the triumphant remark.

"WELL, SHE'S DEAD NOW, THAT'S FOR SURE!"

Kohaku went silent for a few moments. Then she spoke again, almost sounding sane.

"It's his fault. It's his. You're his brother aren't you? You're Itachi's brother!"

Sasuke felt his heart skip a beat when he saw her close her eyes. She was falling asleep. She was asleep!

"Sasuke, I'd like to continue this talk, upstairs, back in my office." Kakashi said unsympathetically.

His head ached and his heart bled. The "last Uchiha" felt so confused. It had been disproved once that he was not the last, now it was being disproved again. Could it be? Shiori had a daughter?

The fifth Hokage was pacing in front of him. His masked sensei had taken to his thinking position with his eyes closed since they had returned to the office.

Tsunade looked at the boy with unwavering eyes for many moments before she spoke.

"I don't understand her…but as much as you deny it I know that you do. You understand her perfectly, don't you?" She said when she finally snatched her eyes away.

"You see," Kakashi chipped in, opening his eyes. "We think that in order to catch Uchiha Itachi, we must learn his motives and know his mind. Many times we have tried to investigate his…earlier crimes but there had never been enough to go on."

"Now this girl has convinced us that there is something more to the Uchiha massacre case." Tsunade continued. "…and we think that the best place to start is the first bloodshed, Uchiha Shisui's."

Calmer now, the raven haired boy sighed. "First and foremost," he said almost arrogantly. "There was never an Uchiha Shisui."

* * *

_The serial killer, the heartless murderer, the genius, Uchiha Itachi stared up at the ceiling of the stone chamber that he called his room. He had been residing her for more than decade now but he still thought it was horrid._

_Guiltily, he let his thoughts wonder back to the room and home he used to have, with brighter lights and soft cushions, an easier life._

_He opened his eyes to find himself back in this pathetic pit. He wondered if he had always made the…sensible, never the right choice, but the most beneficial choices in his life._

_Killing his family taught him that he was…no,_ is_ strong enough._

_Killing_ 'him'_ gave him extraordinary powers._

…_but…letting _her_ go, the closest thing he'd ever been to his old life, letting all that go…was that an advantageous choice?_

_He sighed then forced all those distractions out of his mind. It didn't matter she was gone now and whatever life she had now was neither better or worse than how she was before._

_He had left her in the most pitiful state, as he found her, as he left her a long time ago._

"_Kohaku with no family name to herself, the unknown, the half-blooded Uchiha." The title he gave her in his 'heart'_

* * *

**Sasuke Talking**

_There was never a Shisui Uchiha. He was only a name, a name they called a certain talented warrior. His parents never bore a son. They bore a daughter._

_Uchiha Shiori was her name and she did not die at five, as people were told. It was the secret of only her parents, herself, my brother, me and our own parents. We were the closest to her. We always kept her secret._

_Her parents, they loved her, yes, but they knew no one would look at her the same way as if she were a boy. They dreamed of having their child at one of the higher ranks of ANBU, like the protégée Itachi. They knew she had better chances if they thought she was a man._

_How stupid_

_So they put on the most extravagant show of her drowning in the river and then their 'son' came to the picture. Because they seemed to be in such 'grief,' no one bothered ask about their son. They just accepted him without question as another member of the clan._

_They cut her hair short and since he was large enough for the build, they simply made her wear loose clothing always. They would rehearse her voice for hours, even her walk, her laugh, he pretend 'hobbies.' They put up a good act._

_HA! Imagine, the Uchihas, we were supposed to be a family of geniuses, none of them noticed such an act under our very noses!_

_Of course_ he_ and I remained close to her. I assure you though, that I did not know she had a beau other than my brother, let alone a daughter._

_I can also assure you that she is not Itachi's daughter. Look again at her eyes, any child of his will have his evil eyes, I'm sure. She would have inherited them from her parents._

_Her father must have been out of the family, a common ninja probably. Anyway, he is not important._

…_but that was her, my cousin the actress. What a shame, they never realized the act until they found her floating on the river! Those who found her felt so ashamed they didn't even mention it when they came to question Itachi._

"Did Itachi know Shiori had a child? Why didn't he kill her with the rest of them?" Tsunade, still utterly shocked by the revelation, bombarded the storyteller with her questions.

"I don't know. Maybe he didn't know either."

And then there was silence.

"If I could shed some light on her state," Sasuke went on. "I believe she became the victim of Tsukuyomi jutsu, _his_ technique."

"…worst torture…." Kakashi said softly.

"The poor child," Tsunade sighed. "Tortured and hurt by her mother's scorned lover."

Author's note: This was a juicy chapter…:P I'm just making up for the boring prologue…:D


	3. 2: You've got it all wrong

Hey guys... :P the plot thickens here...

enjoy and review!

* * *

"Tell me, what's so wrong?!"

A young pink haired ninja yelled in frustration, tears streaming down her eyes.

"What's so wrong about letting go? What's so wrong about moving on? Please, tell me why you can't love me!" She choked and her knees were beginning to give way.

The dark haired boy she was with knelt beside her, taking her chin along with some stray strands of hair in his hands, trying to shush her. It was already by some miracle that they were able to steal a moment alone for themselves but this moment, however precious, did not end up being as sweet as she imagined.

**Flash-not-so-back**

"_Sakura."_

"_Yes?"_

"_I can't do this to you anymore."_

"_Do what?"_

"…_Lead you one, make you wait. It's not fair to you."_

_Thinking it was some kind of a joke, the young medic chuckled. "It's alright. I really don't mind waiting. It'll make it all the more worth it when it is time."_

_The boy sighed. "You don't understand That day will never come. I just don't have time. There are too many things I still have to do." _

_A confused, disappointed expression started to form on the girl's face. "..but I told you, I can wait."_

"_No you can't. Not that long. I won't let you."_

"_Now that's what isn't fair!"_

**Back to the sad present**

"I will always be near you. I won't leave again, if that's what you're worried about." He said, almost unfeelingly.

When she didn't answer, he went on.

"I'm just returning your freedom. There is no future with me because I'll always be trapped in my past. You can have a future with someone else. That's what you deserve." He said in a low, smooth voice but not at all concerned tone.

"Don't you deserve that freedom too?" She choked on her words.

"No. Not until he's dead. It's my punishment for being so weak."

Feeling vulnerable and having to intention to seem weak in front of him, she snapped back at him.

"You will never be able to kill him." She said darkly.

Something in his eyes flickered, whether it was a pang of hurt or surprise, she never knew because it disappeared in an instant. He gaze lowered from her face to the ground.

"Then I will never be free." He concluded. He let go of her face and stood up. He walked away silently.

* * *

The dim lights of the stars in the night sky picked out Uchiha Sasuke's features flatteringly. He walked blindly down the road, keeping his head hung in shame.

It's been a long day but he still had one place he wished to go. His feet knew it and swiftly took him there.

Soon enough he found himself in front of the small stairway. He breathed and began to descend them.

The empty prisons and the eerie leaks didn't bother him anymore. He'd been here almost every day since he learned of the place. He never failed to visit her and check up on her progress. Somehow, he felt some pity and even guilt towards this strange, tortured girl.

He found her sitting on her chair as she was every other time. They did not bother binding her to the wall or any means of imprisonment because she didn't seem like she ever wanted to leave the safety of the room.

He noticed the desk and chair in front of her was empty. 'Hmm, no Tsunade today.' He thought, then took the seat.

For many moments he just spent the time starring at her and she starred back, her dulled amber eyes large and curious. She didn't speak though usually she spoke a lot. Most of the time it was nonsense but Sasuke seemed to understand one thing in all her raving: the evils and hardships she had endured under his flesh and blood's hands.

As if a late reaction, she tilted her head and gave him a small smile. "Hello Sasuke." She greeted.

"Good day." He said casually. In his experience it was better to be casual and than pressing towards this kind of person.

"Help me." He suddenly said.

"How can I help you, sir?" She played along.

"Help me in my revenge. When you're better, you will remember where he took you. Tell me where he's hiding and I'll bring him back and kill him in front of you."

Surprisingly, she gave a small, innocent laugh.

"Why would you think I want him dead?" She said between giggles.

The boy was taken aback. "Don't you loathe him? Don't you want him to pay for everything he's done to you, to your mother?!" He lost his better judgment and did use a pressing tone with her.

She didn't seem to appreciate that tone used on her, but she replied all the same. "No, no, no. no! You've got it all wrong. I don't hate him, not at all." She smiled at him.

"I don't…."

"I feared him once, but not even that." She said in an a voice that made her seem sane, if not for the very words escaping her lips. "I love him." She said simply.

Sasuke was dumfounded. This changed things. This changed everything.

* * *

Hatake Kakashi holds no more responsibility. The group of three young ninjas he once mentored were now old enough to fend for themselves. They had become some of the most talented in history and he was contented.

This never seemed as an excuse though, for them to take back their loyalty towards them, or for him to discontinue his guidance.

These three youngsters had grown close to him, and as much as he denied it, they had made him go soft more than once.

Now they were the only things on his mind. He stood on a strong branch on a tree just outside the village, on watch.

"We found her within town limits. By some small chance, he might still be here. Wait for him." Those were his direct orders from the fifth Hokage.

The night sky was his only companion because they said the less there would be on watch, the more chances he'd show up. Apparently, they thought he alone would be enough.

'Guess it's not working' He thought.

He enjoyed the silence as accompaniment to his peaceful reading of his favorite nose-bleed-worthy pocket books. He nearly jumped when someone had tapped his shoulder from the back. Ready to snatch off his forehead protector and give hell to whoever his attacker was, he swiftly turned around relaxed to see it was only the blonde fox boy he was thinking about only a while ago.

"It's late. Why are you still wondering about out of town?" He said casually to the boy.

"Ask that to master Tsunade." He said bitterly. "I came with direct orders from her to ask you to retire for the night. She says you don't have to keep watch for, whatever it was you were waiting for, because there's been a change in plans." The boy explained then quickly followed through with a long yawn.

"What could that possibly be?" He thought out loud in true Kakashi fashion.

"Anyway, she says you should pass by her office before you head home. She's got stuff to tell you."

"Alright. I'll go."

"Kakashi-sensei?"

"Yes, Naruto?"

"What was it exactly you were waiting for?"

"Not what, who, an old villager." He explained. "Rumor has it he's back in town."

"If this was his home, what's taking him so long then?"

"He doesn't want to be welcomed, I guess."

The white haired Juonin and the blonde Gienin left the branch.

About a hundred feet away, in a grove of trees, two blood-red orbs blinked then smirked. The Juonin's explanation was no where near correct. It wasn't that he did not wish to be welcome, it was just that he wanted to be welcomed by one person in particular, and no one else.

* * *

**Teaser for the next chapter :D:**

_He took her neck in his tight grip and forced her body to crash on the floor. She refused to scream for someone might hear her, also because his fingers were choking her wind pipes. She could hardly breathe, let alone send a high pitched yell._

_His deep red eyes bore into her soul and read her past. He used his free hand to send a sharp slap to her already redish cheeks then let go of her neck to give her a strong punch in the stomach. Still, she did not scream. She refused to even let a whimper escape her._

_He mumbled something she did not understand. She waited for another fit of his anger but it seemed to take an eternity to come. She knew it would be hell when it did come. She closed her eyes._

"_Will you set me free now?" She whispered into his ear, their head but inches away._

"_Not a chance." He said harshly, and he closed the distance between their faces and forced his lips against hers._

_She did not scream._

**Note: This teaser doesn't necessarily mean it's all from one part. You have to wait and see when they happen, so REVIEW so I'll continue it!**


	4. 3: Taken REVISED!

**Author's note:** Ok, since this chapter seemed a little of, I'm rewriting it. Yep, all of it. So here goes.

**P.S.**

R E V I E W!!!

R E V I E W!!!

R E V I E W!!!

* * *

Sasuke sat at his normal place, on one of the seat behind a large oak desk. Across him was Kohaku, sitting patiently still and quiet and starring at the ground.

As he watched her, so calm yet so chaotic inside, he could only imagine her pain. Whatever Itachi must have shown her, whatever it was she had seen, must have been horrible. Even he, himself was a shaken after such an experience.

He looked at her in her pitiful state and wondered how long she'd stay like that, how long before she got better. Master Tsunade believed she was permanently scarred, that the torture was too great and she would be mad forever. Somehow Sasuke believed she'd recover. He just knew.

Actually, he didn't really have a reason to come here everyday just to watch her. It wasn't they'd ever get anything useful from her, not while she was in that state. He just seemed drawn to this girl. For the first time in a long time, he actually felt true sympathy for someone and for once in his life; he didn't feel so alone when he was around Kohaku.

A sudden feeling of guilt overwhelmed him.

He shouldn't be thinking this way about such a stranger.

Yes, there was a slim chance that they were related, if all her ramblings were true…

But if anyone, the person he should be thinking about was, well… Sakura.

What he did to her and the things he told her a few days ago were harsh, he had to admit but she needed it.

Sasuke hadn't spoken to her since then. They hadn't seen much of each other since then. He wasn't sure whether she was really avoiding him but it was just now when they were split up that he realized how quiet it was without her, intentionally or not.

Part of him was angry at himself for being so cruel. After all she'd done for him and after she'd waited so long for him to return, he just blew her off.

You couldn't even call it young, foolish love because they hadn't really realized where they stood until that night, that night when he left.

Before then they were nothing. Now they're nothing again.

He shrugged the thoughts away.

"She needed it." He kept repeating to himself, over and over. "Besides, she'd probably end up with some earthly guy, like Neji maybe."

His gaze drew back to the girl that sat before him. It seemed she had been watching him in drown in his thoughts. Her bright amber orbs were now wide as saucers, looking at him in an eerily innocent way.

When she saw that he acknowledged her looks, her dry lips cracked a smile.

He smiled –more like smirked- back at her and looked away. His eyes fell to the fine wood patterns on the table, not really looking at it though.

His head felt weary and his eyes were heavy. He rested them on the table with his arms over crossed under his head.

Before he dozed off, the last thoughts in his mind were:

"How horrible was what she'd been through, that all she can do now is smile?"

And he fell asleep. She didn't budge. Kohaku just sat stiff, watching him and she kept smiling. The shred of sanity in the back of her mind told her:

"He looks a lot like his brother."

* * *

**These are the memories that play over and over in Kohaku's head. In some strange way, they make her laugh and smile. flashback**

_It was an unusually cold morning. It was too early for many things to stir but Kohaku was up. She had to collect water for the day and since the water is cut off from the compound, –why supply water to a compound if all the residents are already dead? – there was only one place she could get it: from the lake behind the small shanty._

_She was old enough and the old man would not do this for her anymore._

_Her knees were trembling as she took baby steps nearer the dreaded bridge._

_All her body was shaking. She awkwardly knelt down by the bank and carefully dipped one of her pails in the cold water._

_It was freezing._

_By her third bucketful she began to calm down. She even had the small courage to whistle a tune._

_The melody was slow and depressing like the girl's life. Yes, her entire life's story was in this tune. The most cheerful part being the first few lines, the repeating sad chorus and the quick high notes suddenly changing into the lowest of notes signify the high and low roads of her own life._

_It was her favorite tune._

_Soon the morning began to wake. The birds' dawn chorus joined her singing._

_You could say for a split second she was happy. Imagine that, for a fleeting moment_ she_ was happy._

_Nothing good ever lasts long._

_Suddenly she felt long bony fingers around her neck, squeezing it and pushing down into the freezing water. She barely had time to inhale. Before she knew it he whole head was under water. She couldn't breathe. The hand kept a firm hold on her head, keeping it down for a good couple of minutes._

_When the same hand pulled her head out, another grabbed her hair._

_Reflex told her to shut her eyes tight._

_Apparently her attacker didn't want her to._

_He violently tugged on her long hair as the hand that was around her neck transferred to her shoulder. The person shook her violently, as if wanting something from her. When she didn't comply with his unknown wishes, the hands slammed her to the rocky ground._

_She felt her head feel damp but not with dripping water but with large thick droplets, blood._

_The hands held her down and kept shaking her until finally Kohaku shot open her eyes._

_And then all she saw was red. Blood red everywhere._

_Her attacking grinned. He _smiled _and almost _laughed

"_Yes, this is definitely her."_

**End of flashback…for now.**

* * *

Sasuke woke up with a start when he heard a loud thud. He found Kohaku unconscious, a mess on the floor.

She was mumbling absurdities again and clutching her head.

He tried to shake into her senses, if she still had any but all that happened was that she let out a shrill cry of sheer pain.

He panicked. Nothing was causing her pain yet she acted as if she were severely injured. He had no idea what to do. Sasuke just knelt there beside her, starring at her shivering body.

* * *

**Back to Kohaku's memories flashback**

_When she came to, she was no longer by the lake or anywhere near the river or the compound for that matter. She was lying on her back on a cold hard floor of a small, dimly lit room. _

_All she could see were tall stone walls, four of them, around her. In one corner was a small hole, barely large enough for a fully grown man to fit through. That only opening was barred with thick metal poles._

_She tried to crane her neck a little higher but each movement sent sharp surges of pain through her head and down her spine._

_Kohaku practically had to drag herself to a corner, forcing her tired body into a sitting position with her knees to her chin and her arms around them._

_She sat there for a good hour, just waiting for…something._

_Memories of what had happened came flooding back to her. To think that it happened there, of all places. And those eyes, it was him. She was sure of it. The picture of the last thing she saw plastered on her mind made her break into tears._

_How long she was out, she couldn't really tell. There was no window to tell whether I was day or night. All she knew was that it had been too long. Her stomach hurt from hunger. She hadn't had a bite yet before she went out to collect water that morning._

_Suddenly she heard heavy scratches from the other side of the small hole. She heard a scrapping sound and sure enough, she saw pale bony hands removing the bars from the entrance._

_She watched the hand open the only 'door' and try to crawl it's way in. Soon she made out an arm, covered by a long dark sleeve. Then came another hand, a mess of dark hair and small signs of a pale face. To her horror, the face looked up at her so she could see every bit of his cold features._

_He smirked at her, mocked her by keeping his eyes the 'safe' shade of black._

_After a while his entire torso was in. She just watched him. Then he pulled his legs in, brushed the dust from his coat and stood up tall and straight. Kohaku could only stare._

_It's been years, more than a decade, since she'd last seen him. Amazing how she could still remember his face. Well, actually no it wasn't._

_Who could ever forget that cold expression? She could never wipe that smirk and that deathly pale face from her memory. The only difference was that last time, his eyes were different. They were murderous._

_Now, they were just amused._

_Those two feelings came together naturally in him and she shivered._

_He took large step towards her until he was only a foot away._

_He knelt in front of her and took her cheeks in his hands._

"_How old are you?" he asked. If she hadn't been so terrified, she could have sworn his tone was kind._

_But she was and she couldn't find the voice to answer._

_He didn't appreciate that. He took her neck in one of his hands and squeezed…hard._

"_I said: How…old…are…you?" His grip got tighter with every word and his tone becoming more crisp and coarse._

"_Fifteen!" She blurted out._

_For some reason he hastily let go of her._

_Was it her submissiveness that surprised him? Doubtful. He was used to getting his way. Did her obvious fear strike some sympathy into him? Unlikely. Was it the number of year that she had existed on this mortal plane that shook him? Did he not expect her to be that old? Probably._

_He looked at her again. He tilted his head and there came that eerie smile again._

"_What's your name?" he asked in the same tone as his first question._

_Again she was speechless but she'd learned her lesson. It only took a raise of his eyebrow to get her talking._

"_Kohaku." She practically whimpered._

_He nodded._

_He stood up, brushing more dust off his clothes. It nearly made her cough but she held it in._

_He turned and looked like he was about to leave but no sooner than when Kohaku finally thought it was safe to breathe did he turn around swiftly and knocked her in the head with the back of his hand, making her hit the wall._

_On impact she shut her eyes. When she opened them again his face was only inches away from hers and his hand was around her neck…again._

_He had taken her neck in his tight grip and forced her body to crash on the floor. She refused to scream for someone might hear her, also because his fingers were choking her wind pipes. She could hardly breathe, let alone send a high pitched yell._

_Tears were beginning to form in her eyes as his now deathly crimson ones, bore into them._

_That look. It only told her that he wasn't done yet, that he wished to inflict more pain, that he was enjoying this. He was making it quite clear that she wasn't going to come out of this at all well._

_In the end she was beaten and bruised, a pitiful mess of blood sweat and tears._

_He was just looming over her now. Looking at her with absolutely no humanity to it at all. He seemed satisfied with what he'd reduced her to but he wasn't done yet._

_All this time, through all the pain, not a word or a yell came out of Kohaku'sr lips. Over the years she lost the ability to scream, thinking it was useless. That annoyed him. He wanted his victims to let him know he was putting them through hell._

_Her lack of a reaction only told him that it wasn't hell enough. Well then, he'd make it her own personal hell._

_He wasn't done yet._

"_AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!" a loud piercing scream echoed through the prison cell. It was heard throughout the cave…the entire lair definitely heard it._

_Nothing even stirred._

_No one rushed there to see what was going on. No one came to her rescue, like no one came to her mother._

_The shrill cry was followed by total silence. Not a pin's drop was heard again._

_She lay there, shivering in the cold and eyes bulging in horror._

…_and he just left her there in all her misery._

_He left her for the dead._

…_at least, until tomorrow._

_Leaving the cell he was, as appalling as he was, _grinning. _Thank goodness she was in too much pain to see._

_The next day before she woke up, he was already standing there, watching over her body. An unreadable expression and crimson eyes adorned his pale face._

_He just stood there, watching her and waiting until she opened her eyes again._

**Flashback to be continued**

* * *

Sasuke still knelt by her shivering body. Kohaku had stopped yelling and mumbling. Now she was all quiet. He body felt cold to touch and she was breathing quick.

He just knelt there, stroking the poor girl's hair as if it helped. Again this girl was able to give Sasuke an experience he hadn't had before. For once in his life, -actually the second- he had absolutely no idea what to do…but cry.

* * *

**Author: There it is everyone! The next chapter will come soon if you guys follow the PS :D**


	5. 4: Family ties

Hey guys, I'm back so soon. A Miracle! Haha. Anyway here goes…

* * *

Sasuke knelt by her, arguing with himself whether he should go and call help from Kakashi or Master Tsunade or anyone at all that would give damn.

On the one hand, this was totally alien territory to him. He had no idea what do and if he tried, would probably end up just making things worse.

On the other hand, he couldn't leave her, not like this. She'd been pitiful, heck she's been in downright pathetic states before but none life this. This time she looked absolutely helpless… and so did he.

He finally decided to stay. If anything at least he'd try to get her back seated on the chair.

He stroked her face and his eyes shot at a realization.

This girl was asleep.

She was dreaming.

Everything she had been screaming and mumbling were part of some horrible nightmare. She was whining and crying because of the thing he couldn't see, something in her head.

Sasuke pondered if she was always like this, battling with images and places she revisited in her head.

Memories….

**Kohaku _is_ dreaming and her dreams take her back to her last days of sanity, her day in the hands of a certain Akatsuki. flashback**

_She blinked a couple of times and was able to steal glances of a tall dark figure looming over her. Wisely, she kept her eyes shut._

_The figure quietly chuckled. This girl _looked amusing_. She did. She was curled up like a cat. Her clothes were torn and stained with dried blood. She was covered in bruises and scratches. Her hair was a frizzy mess that adorned her face, still tearstained from last night. But it was her eyes that _amused_ him most of all. They were shut tight, obviously forced. Her eyebrows wrinkled and her mouth quivered. Any idiot could tell she was faking sleep._

_This Akatsuki was no idiot._

_She felt distant warmth pass over her. She knew he had just leaned over her body._

_She tensed her muscles, bracing herself for a strike or a punch but none came._

_Instead, miraculously, the next thing she felt was not pain at all. It was a soft touch. He _gently_ brushed hair from her face and stroked her cheek. This cold-blooded sadistic man was being _gentle.

_Kohaku almost shot open her eyes to check whether it was really him or perhaps she had already died overnight and gone to heaven and this was some weird dressing Goth angel. _

_Of course her common sense stopped her in the nick of time but it wasn't fast enough to stop her lip from curving up ever so slightly._

_At this moment the man was eternally grateful that she had her eyes closed. Or else it would have been a fatal blow to his ego if she had caught him cracking the smallest of smiles himself._

_When Kohaku caught what she was doing, she quickly wiped the relieved grin from her face. So did he._

_She had decided on his motives. He was toying with her, giving her a false sense of security so that she might open her eyes. She guess that the moment she did, his own crimson eyes would be starring right at her, giving her hell as he pictured it._

_No, she'd keep them shut until he pried them open with his own bare hands._

_Suddenly she felt his developed arm slid under her upper torso, near her neck. She felt his other arm hug under her knees. You know what comes next. She felt her body lift up. Yes, the Akatsuki had just carried her, bride style._

_Still keeping her eyes tightly shut, she felt him take several steps then he stopped. He leaned his head close to hers and whispered in her ear._

"_If you lean your head on me, it will be easier to get out of here." He said in his usual rough voice._

_Automatically she complied, resting her forehead on his shoulder. It needed no will nor consent from her. She was just tired._

_They squeezed through that small hole of a door. One out she felt a sudden gush of air, not fresh air but steamy burning fumes, blow against her face. They were definitely far from the lake now._

_He carried her off somewhere, somewhere indoors she guessed, since the smoke stopped blowing. Maybe they'd gone into another cave. Still, her eyes had been shut this entire time. _

_Her carrier cam to an abrupt stop._

"_Open your eyes." He ordered her._

_She was alive and thankful that she still was. Her only thanks was to comply._

_She saw they were in a came. Much like the last one, it was cold and damp and dimly lit. This time though, it was larger In fact they seemed to be in a hallway. Uniform doors, real wooden doors, lined the walls and they were in front of one of them._

_He kicked the door open and they entered. If this were a film, you'd swear they were a married couple home from the wedding. Sadly it wasn't. They weren't a loving couple, they were a merciless killer and a frightened hostage._

_He dropped her, literally dropped her, on a thin lumpy cushion that she supposed was meant to be a bed. The room was furnished but barely. There was that bed and two lamps on the wall. That was it._

"_This is your room. Mine is across the hall. When I'm not with you, this door will be locked. You're not allowed out." He informed her._

_She was dead curious. 'Why was he giving her better accommodations? She didn't remember doing anything worth rewarding. And strangest of them all, why hasn't he started beating her to a pulp yet? Why was she still alive?'_

_He didn't answer any of her questions. In fact, he didn't seem to care if she understood or not. He just turned to walk out._

"_Wait!" It took all her leftover strength to actually call out to him. As soon as he turned around, she wished he hadn't. It was too late now, she had gotten his attention, she might as well use it._

"_Why are you giving me a room?" she dared._

"_Do you want to stay there? If so then that could be arranged." He smirked and raised an eyebrow._

_She shook her head violently. "No!" she yelled. "…but yesterday…"_

"_You were punished."_

_Her hands started to tremble. "f-for what?"_

_He laughed, well almost, as much of a laugh as could escape such a monster's lips. He didn't even have to answer. She knew. Her existence was an insult to him._

_He watched her squirm in fear of him. He saw the droplets form under her eyes and his heart beat faster. The thing was, though he'd always deny it, seeing her in pain wasn't entirely satisfying._

_When she bled and when she screamed, it empowered him. When she was in pain he felt he was proving that he could inflict hell and not ever succumb to it. It was like his revenge for all the lies he was told and the pain he himself had felt._

_Simply stated, this girl is his stress ball. On her he lets out every bit of frustration he had. When everything was stripped of him, now he was going to take it all back by crumbling this little girl into the disgusting mess he felt he was._

_But when everything was done, last night when she was just lying there on the stone floor, crying her eyes out, he didn't feel at all contented._

_Seeing her that way reminded him that he wasn't invisible. In spite of everything people said about him, 'merciless killer,' 'inhumane monster' and everything else, it would be so obvious to anyone who really looked that Uchiha Itachi was indeed, human._

_When she bled and when she screamed he was reminded of that point of weakness. He was told over and over again by her yells that there was something that existed on this mortal plane that was able to make him doubt himself._

_And that thing was last thing anyone would ever expect to be Uchiha Itachi's weakness:_

_Family._

_The one thing neither he nor this girl ever had. They both thought they had it once, a long time ago but it was a lie. They weren't taken, they were never real._

_Itachi a father, mother, brother, lover and relatives whom he thought supported him. He had a great a career and all thought he lived a charmed life. Everyone lied to him and all he did was get back at them._

_Kohaku's entire life was lie. From the moment she was born it was made evident that she was a mistake. All her life was spent hidden away. No one knew who she was and neither did she. She didn't eve have a family name to herself. One day the only person she ever thought really cared about her was murdered right in front of her._

_Now these two souls, similar in their own way and connected it every way are standing before each other._

_Kohaku watched him as he edged closer to her. He watched him bend down on one kne in front of her. _

_He mumbled something she did not understand. She waited for another fit of his anger but it seemed to take an eternity to come. She knew it would be hell when it did come. She closed her eyes._

"_You're family." He said mockingly. "You deserve special treatment."_

"_That relationship never mattered to you before."_

"_If you only knew, little girl."_

"_Yes, I'm family. So are you going to kill me too?"_

"_Of course but now right now."_

_Slowly, almost calmly, Kohaku opened her eyes._

_Before Itachi stood up, he leaned over and gave her small peck on the cheek. Then he turned around and left the room. A small click was heard after it closed._

_The door was locked._

_Kohaku lay motionless on the bed, starring at the ceiling, fearing her future._

_Eventually she fell asleep. For the first time her slumber was uninterrupted._

_The next morning she awoke on her own. No Itachi breathing on her, no good-morning beating. For one she'd thought he was going to leave her alone, finally. That morning, she found it in her heart to smile._

'_The fates are shifting' she told herself. She thought nothing could corrupt her mood… until the door slammed open and the Akatsuki walked in._

_He looked down at her with an eyebrow up and pinwheels whirling in his crimson eyes. She starred at the tall man opened jawed. He had a devilish smile, unlike his usual smirk or proud grin. His lips were parted, showing teeth and his mouth was curved at its very tip. He had pain in his eyes and her in mind._

_She just lay petrified on her bed, motionless. No muscle could find the strength move in her. She couldn't run or struggle, even if she wanted to do for he was starring right at her._

**Kohaku's waking up. end of flashback**

Sasuke say that she was beginning to blink her eyes open and was relieved.

He was able to carry her back into a sitting position on her chair. He knelt beside it, waiting for her to wake up.

She looked down at him with large cheerful orbs. That innocent glee made him laugh (just a little). She nodded, for what reason, he didn't know. He just nodded back.

He went back to his original place behind the oak desk. She watched him sit back down and she smiled.

"You're bored." She concluded.

"No I'm not." He said sheepishly.

"You can go back to your room and rest. I won't go anywhere. The door's locked." She half ordered him.

He didn't think she had enough sense to even consider such an idea but he'd always though that the word of a crazy man is worth more than the oath of a sane man. He nodded and left the room to go home.

As he walked down the dark deserted hallways of that basement, he wasn't entirely sold on the fact that Kohaku was insane. Part of him was sure that she wasn't as crazy as she pretended to be.

* * *

**Author: Well there you go! The plot thickens…. Can you guess the real pairing in this story now? Is it KohXIta? KohXSasu? SasuXSaku perhaps? Stay tuned! There you go, I made sure to make it very obvious that Sasuke and Itachi are brothers and Kohaku sees that in them. I hope you guys liked it.**


	6. 5: Unsettled and confused

I know this is kind of a late announcement and all but, these are the ages of the people in my story.

**Kohaku: 15 years old**

**Sasuke (and the rest of team seven too, I guess): 24 years old**

**Itachi: 29 years old**

Just thought it might be useful.

Enjoy!

* * *

He stood perfectly still in the dark shadows of one of the caves many hallways. Itachi starred blankly at his bony hand against the dark wooden oak as if it were the most bewildering thing in the world. He felt the urge to push it open but knew he'd only find two unlit wall lamps and an unkempt empty bed if he did. 

He missed her, though he'd rather die than show it to the others.

That's why he remained in the shadows, so that he wouldn't give them a reason to question his motives or his feelings. They never did know why she was taken into their custody in the first place. Imagine their curiosity when she was simply set free! As far as they knew, she was not the host of any beast they were after nor was she a talented ninja or informant that may be of any use to their cause at all. Most of them had just come to the conclusion that the lonely Uchiha needed a plaything and this girl was it. With most of them in agreement that she was fair in beauty and desirable enough in figure, it wasn't that hard to imagine.

_Men._ This hole was filled with them after all.

Were they ever more wrong.

**Safely tucked away in the darkness, Itachi is free to remember and let the events of the past few months play over and over again in his mind. (flashback)**

_The Akatsuki starred, panting, at the helpless girl in front of him. She lay almost unconscious, face down on the mattress. The once flawless skin of her back was messed with deep red gashes. Her kimono rested at her shoulders, worn and tattered, stained tiny spatters of blood. Sweat covered her face and she drew quick breaths._

_She was tired. She was weak and she looked so…vulnerable_

_He eyed her from head to toe. She was in his reach, under his thumb. There's no way she'd be able to protest and she couldn't run. It was right there in front of him. If he wished it, he could._

_Yet the Akatsuki shook his head._

_He couldn't do it. He simply could not go through with it._

_To taint this girl's honor, to stain her forever seemed sinful. To him, this was far worse than anything else he'd done. Committing another murder would have been easier. If he were told to kill another family, an entire village, by the millions even, he would have done it swiftly and with ease, not even breaking a sweat._

_But this, this was a dirty deed that would make even a man like him, the hell-sent man that he was, feel filthy. If he'd gone through with it, He'd never be able to stand his own stench. Itachi just… couldn't._

_Hastily, he fixed her kimono to properly shade her body. He turned her over so that she faced him. He cupped her flushed cheek in his hand._

_He had, admittedly, brought her to a room nearer his own for selfish reasons. He made it so that she was more accessible to him. It was meant for those days he felt stressed or frustrated. The sight of her relieved him, at least he thought then._

_Lately though, all the doubts that had surprised him that same day were returning to confuse him. Those thoughts that he tried to ignore and disprove by hurting her. They had died down for a while but not long enough. The sight of her did not incite rage in him anymore. Now, it just brought him back to his past. He found himself starring blankly at her more often. Sometimes she stared back, confused and scared. Other times she was unconscious and she never noticed. He was beginning to find it harder and harder to lay a finger on her. He hated what she was doing to him and how she made him feel._

_Itachi never wished to 'feel' anything ever again._

_For once in his life he hesitated. That unsure feeling was so alien to him, he found himself lost whenever it came and that was usually when he was around Kohaku. He searched for a reason every time he doubted himself. All he found was that it had something to do with the fact that this girl rarely struggled against him. Her submissiveness probably surprised him, how she just readily accepted pain. In her own way, she drove him crazy._

_Soon, it wasn't only that he couldn't bear touching her but he couldn't stand the sight of her anymore._

* * *

_A week, an entire uninterrupted week, Itachi did not pay his prisoner a visit. During that time she regained the strength to walk again though she was still unsteady. The scratches and wounds healed. They were replaced by dark spot all over her body. She was now incredibly thin. She was slim to begin with and now she was just bones. The only time she was fed was every morning, when she'd find stale bread and bland wine by the door._

_The next time Itachi paid her visit was high noon one cold day. The moment he entered, he threw her a new robe. And I use the word 'new' loosely. Yes, it was thicker and still whole, unlike her thin tattered one but it smelly. It was also covered it dark brown stains of every size. She didn't ask where it came from for she felt she knew where a man like him would acquire such a coat._

_From then on he insisted she wear at all times he was present. She'd hastily put in on when he came to her room. He grimaced whenever she wasn't wearing it yet when he came. The reason for this behavior, she never really understood. Besides, there were stranger changes in his demeanor that she was preoccupied with. The most drastic on being he never hurt her anymore. He never even came a foot near her, let alone touched her._

_What then, did the Akatsuki do for hours at a time in his room? Well most of the time he stood but sometimes he sat, he watched, he seldom smiled and he'd been caught yawning on occasion. Once even, he fell asleep on her bed, forcing the poor girl to rest on the cold stone floor. Yes, that's right. Uchiha Itachi had nothing better to do with his precious time than lean on the door frame to Kohaku's room and watch her eat, sleep and breathe and drag through the rest of her dreary life. She wasn't sure if he found this amusing. Actually he seemed bored yet he'd keep doing it. It was much like having a bodyguard; only the danger was already in the room._

_On such a day, the young girl sat stiff on her bed, her legs safely tucked under her. She tried hard not to meet the older boy's gaze. Her eyes remained cast down, watching her fingers fiddle with each other. Kohaku was nervous. She never had confidence in her life and now she was trying to summon it. She wanted to ask him something, something important but she feared she might loose the lower body stability she only just regained._

_The Akatsuki seemed to notice her stirring. He raised and eyebrow and shifted his weight from the door frame to stand upright. He coughed as if to remind her that he could see. Thankfully, the gesture did not go unnoticed._

"…_kun?"_

"_ai?"_

"_Will I…will I ever leave here…?"  
_

"_Of course…"_

"_Alive…?"_

_The older boy shrugged. "We will see." Then, he looked straight at her and decided he wouldn't let these odd feelings get in the way of his amusement. "Maybe…"_

_He turned around and motioned her to follow. They walked down the lifeless hallways side by side. There was no need for him to push or drag her, she followed him willingly. He led her out the smoky air she remembered from the last time she was out. Now that her eyes were open as they walked, she saw that the entire place did not look very different. It was all rock and cave inside and more of the same as far as the eye could see outside. He halted in front of one of the many similar caves._

_Suddenly he grabbed her wrist tightly and took her by the shoulder. Fearing his peaceful season was over, Kohaku cringed. His grip on her shoulder loosened and he whispered close to her ear._

"_If you want to get out of here, submit to me and none of them will bother you." He motioned to a small group men dressed identically as her captor. It appeared they hadn't seen them yet. He held her shoulder tight again and pulled her in the opposite direction. The stealthily avoided more Akatsuki members and quietly slipped away. It was nothing short of a miracle for a talented ninja to escape the clutches of the Akatsuki but it was a very simple deal for the group made of elite S-class missing nins to be outsmarted by one of their own._

_Through the thick forest canopy, he guided her back to place they both knew. During the entire trip he never looked her in the eye once. If he made the mistake to, he might have second thoughts to bringing her back. All that time she spent clung against his chest in the treetops, one thing was on Kohaku's mind._

"_I _was_ able to leave there, very much alive…"_

_The question was, why?_

**(end of flashback)**

The Akatsuki turned around and retreated into his own room across the hall.

* * *

"Where is she?!" the dark haired boy demanded as he arrived panting at the hokage's office. 

The older woman in pigtails behind the desk smiled good-naturedly at him.

"She's been transferred." She informed him calmly.

"Where?"

"To a proper hospital room with a bed and decent living quarters."

"What? Why?"

Tsunade's smile grew until they almost reached her ears. "Come, let's visit her and you'll find out for yourself." She beckoned to him.

* * *

Sasuke's jaw nearly dropped to the floor when he entered the crisp, white hospital room. In the middle of the room, she sat up straight in bed, her hair neatly tied in a bun, her face clean and her clothes neat and pressed. Uchiha (unofficially) Kohaku smiled as she greeted them. 

"Good morning, master Tsunade and… Sasuke, isn't it?"

The fifth Hokage nodded at the young girl and giggled at the sight of the awe struck Uchiha.

"Yes, Sasuke, she is much better now. She can speak and converse properly but she still has bad spells every now and then." She told him. "…but more or less, your niece is fine…"

He just kept starring as the girl tilted her head to one side and smiled at him again.

"Don't mention _anything_ about r brother to her yet. It sets her off. She's not ready for _any_ that yet." Tsunade strictly advised him before she left the room.

* * *

**Author: phew! That took longer than expected. Well I hoped you liked it! Leave me a little something before you go, like say, a review maybe?**


	7. 6: All I ask and all I will give

Thank you so much for the review on my last chapter. Here's the latest one… We're nearing the end of the story already!

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The raven haired boy was quiet. The fifth Hokage had forbidden him to talk to her about Itachi but that was all he wanted to ask her about. "Where was the Akatsuki lair? Where was he and what was he doing?" He had so many questions for her. Sasuke couldn't ask any.

"_Don't do anything to set her off. She still fragile. It's a miracle she recovered._ Don't ruin it."

Master Tsunade's warning rang over and over again in his head.

"Sasuke." She called out softly.

Her voice woke him up from his thoughts.

"Ai?"

"Can I ask of something?"

"That depends. What?"

"I want you to tell me, honestly, why am I here?"

He just gawked at her.

"I can't do that."

She fixed a pleading gaze on him, trying to stare him down with her bright amber eyes.

"That won't work." He declared, changing his eyes from their natural dark shade to the crimson red one his family used to be famous for.

"Alright." Kohaku gave a resigning sigh. "Then may I ask for something else?" she asked.

Sasuke's eyes returned to normal but he still continued to glare at her suspiciously.

"Bring me home."

"You're still sick."

"Just for a while. I—I miss the lake." She stammered.

He raised an eyebrow. "You hate the lake."

The young girl shot him a surprised look. "How did you know that?"

Realizing it was something he learned while she was still sick, he immediately took it back.

"It was just a guess." He excused himself, snatching his gaze away. "--but fine, I'll take you."

* * *

**The lake brings back memories that Kohaku doesn't understand. They just sit at the back of her head, playing over an over again where she can't watch them. (Flashback)**

_Two figures stand by the clear blue lake, a fair distance apart._

_The taller one, a man, looked over at his companion, a young woman. Her eyes reflected the water she was starring so deeply at. Her expression was unreadable, so was his. This was the most calm both of them had felt for a very, very long time._

_Honestly, he felt some slight regret in ruining that tranquility by speaking._

"_One question." He said flatly._

_She looked at him, though her gaze seemed distant still._

"_Do you want to die here?" he went on._

_Remembering the last time he asked her a question, she knew better that to shut up. This time though, she wasn't as direct._

"_No, but will you set me free?"_

"_No." He said flatly._

_Kohaku held in a smirk. She thought as much._

"_I meant, would you rather die here, or back there…?"_

_This time she didn't answer. Fortunately he didn't seem to mind._

_She went back to watching small ripples in the lake. After what she'd just been through, this place didn't frighten her anymore. Nothing seemed to scare or surprise her anymore. Nothing seemed to make her feel anything anymore. She could hardly say he stole her heart but definitely took everything else human about her._

_She was turning into a shell of a person, a numb being, just like him._

_Stockholm syndrome: Identifying with one's captor._

_A sad thing, a sad thing that was happening to her._

_Lost in her own thoughts, she suddenly felt his grab her by the elbow. He pulled her to face him._

"_Again, here or back there."_

_She shook her head._

"_I'll decide for you then."_

_Swiftly he landed a punch to her stomach that immediately knocked her out._

_Instead of throwing her over his shoulder like he did last time, he lifted her by the waist and carried her in front of him._

_He brought her to a forest clearing, somewhere between the lair and the lake._

_He felt her stir. She was regaining consciousness._

"_Will you set me free now?" She whispered into his ear, their head but inches away._

_Itachi smirked, loudly._

"_Not a chance." He said harshly, and he closed the distance between their faces and forced his lips against hers._

**These few moments mean nothing to Kohaku now but even then, she wasn't sure what exactly they did mean to her. (End of flashback.)**

Kohaku heard the door opening and blinked her eyes open. She found Sasuke at the doorway.

"Are we going yet?"

"No, tomorrow."

She nodded but she looked disappointed. Something in her really wanted to see the lake but she wasn't sure why.

The raven haired boy came up to her and sat on a chair near her bed. He put his feet up on the night table and put his hands behind his head like always did.

They were quiet then someone knocked on the door.

A young, pink haired medic entered. At first she was all smiled until she saw the patient's visitor. Her face became straight and serious.

"You're doing much better now, Ms, Kohaku." She addressed the younger girl, refusing to look at Sasuke. "Have you been eating? You'll recover faster." She said kindly. The dark haired girl nodded, returning a thoughtful grin.

Sakura picked up the empty food tray and left a couple of bottles of medication by her bedside table (the one opposite where Sasuke was, of course) The whole time she attended to the girl, she never so much as looked at Sasuke let alone spoke to him. He'd been cold to her since that fateful day and she was more than willing to play the game of snobs with him. He on the other hand, was watching her work around the small hospital room the entire time. Maybe he was just toying with her or maybe he was waiting for acknowledgement. Ether way, he got no reaction. Sakura left the room as quietly a she came and as professional.

Sasuke scoffed at the closed door. Kohaku just gave a knowing smirk.

Women. So complicated.

Or in Sasuke's head, fragile.

"I really want to know what happened to me." Kohaku suddenly said.

"Master Tsunade wouldn't say either. I even asked that nice medic but she couldn't give an answer. Though I believe her when she says she doesn't know." She went on.

"What makes you think I do?" He said arrogantly.

"Because I remember you." She said just as arrogantly. Sasuke shot her a look. "I'm not stupid. I remember that room. I remember the man in a mask and I remember you. I know you came to me every day. I know we talked. I just can't remember what we talked about."

The boy was mildly impressed. He assumed the entire last three months were wiped out from her head by the Mangekyou Sharingan or the insanity. Apparently not.

"Then why don't you remember what happened?"

"I think I do, bits and pieces of it. Not enough to paint a good picture though." She wrinkled her eyebrows. "I just remember one ultimate thing about it."

"What's that?"

"That it was horrible." She declared.

At that moment, Sasuke stood up and wrapped his arms around the young girl. He didn't say anything. He didn't have to.

* * *

Outside, a young kunoichi stood at the door, peering through the small glass window in it.

The halls were empty at this time so there was no one to catch her. She had no reason to hide the tears that started falling down her cheek and ending on the empty tray she'd just collected. She stood there, not taking her eyes off of the scene for a moment, completely silent.

What she was unaware of was that the little display of affection was not for the reasons she thought. Maybe she just didn't know Sasuke as much as she thought. His entire life, his revenge was caused by one thing: Family. It was the one thing he lived and worked for. It was also what he'd just found, in this young girl. This hug was nothing more than a brotherly (uncle-y?) one, nothing more. No Malice.

Another thing she didn't know was that no one in the hall could see her, but to a person with very talented eyes like Sasuke, she perfectly visible to him from the small window she was peering in.

Why must we always tease those we care about?

(A/N: playing with Sakura's feelings must be fun...lol)

* * *

**The suffering will end and at that end you'll find relief. Kohaku did. (Last flashback –aww--)**

_He pulled their faces away. It was a quick peck, hardly even passionate._

_Her head was too week for her to carry so he supported it from the back. He raised her head so that they were at eye level and she was starring right at him._

"_I don't want you to feel pain." He said_

"_Kind of too late for that, isn't it?"_

_After what she'd just been through, he was impressed she could even make jokes._

_His deep red eyes bore into her soul and read her past. Itachi watched the last three months she'd spent with him replay in those amber orbs. He saw the replay of the scene when he took her and saw the fear she'd felt then. Then he went deeper, farther back. He saw a slow motion video of his first murder, the one that took place on a bridge near his home. He saw it from the point of view of a little girl hidden in the bushes, crying out as her mother was drowned._

_He saw his chance and he took it._

_Kohaku entered another world, a red realm where she only saw what he wanted her to see. A dark shadow crept up from behind her and swallowed her. She saw every terrible event in her life replayed before her in striking detail. Then she saw..._

_A loud scream echoed through the abandoned woods. The birds rushed away from their nest for fear of danger but the danger was not to them. Nobody else heard the scream._

_She did not scream._

_He did._

* * *

_The Akatsuki stood over her unconscious body lying at his feet. Itachi knelt before it. She had fallen with her eyes still wide open. He took the liberty of closing them. The stroked her cheek and looked at his latest victim._

_He looked at what seemed to him, a perfect painting of his past and his present._

_He was looking at his second chance._

_His second chance at family, at love and at a real life._

_All of which he had destroyed himself in the first place and he did it again._

_He left her there, alone in the woods where he knew no one would harm her. It was near the capital so when she awoke, even in _that_ condition he left her in, he was sure she'd find her way. She was a survivor after all and she'd find the one that survived like her and he'd take care of her._

_Itachi was done with her._

**End of flashbacks**


	8. 7: Just a spark to remember

A familiar scene was again laid out before the like. Except this time, the pair was slightly different. Though he bore a striking resemblance to the last man, he was slightly shorter, younger by a few years. They stood in the same awkward silence like before.

Kohaku rubbed her temple.

"Are you alright?" Sasuke asked.

The young girl smiled at his concern and simply nodded then shrugged it off. She walked away from him and headed towards the old rickety wooden bridge nearby. He didn't seem to give any qualms to it, he just watched her go. She walked slowly, running her fingers through the railing. When she reached the middle, she looked over the railing, studying the water below.

It was nearing dusk and the sky was a sweet shade of pink. Kohaku enjoyed the cool breeze blowing against her face. She wasn't exactly sure why she felt like coming here. All her life the only thing this place reminded her of was pain and loss. Now, for some reason, she finally felt at peace.

Her deep thought were interrupted when she spotted something gleaming in the bushes on the other side of the lake. She couldn't make out what it was because it was getting dark, only that it was set apart from the dark shrubbery. She leaned over edge to get a better look. All that got her was learning its color. It seemed a distinct reddish color. Kohaku leaned over even farther for a better view. She leaned until all her weight rested only on her arms leaning on the bridge's railing. Her feet were of the ground and all her torso was already over.

She squinted her eyes and strained her neck. The spark seemed to interest her very much.

"Kohaku! Be careful! Don't lean in to far…!"

…

"KOHAKU!"

_SPLASH_

She had fallen in.

Immediately Sasuke dove in to save her. When he got to her she struggled when he held her. She seemed to want anything but to have him touch her. She punched and kicked but all that achieved was make her swallow more water. In the end he had to fling her over his shoulder to carry her to shore.

Even there, she kept yelling and screaming.

Sasuke tried to shake her to senses. Kohaku stopped screaming but she took him by the collar and starred straight into his eyes.

It terrified him.

It terrified him because as she looked at him, _inside_ him, she was smiling. It wasn't a joyful smile, not even a thankful one. It was a eerily naïve smile that didn't even reach her eyes. It was like a curl of a lip with dead, expressionless orbs to accompany it.

_It was the careless smile of an insane little girl._

Frustrated and refusing to believe she was drawn back to that state, Sasuke kept shaking her, violently trying to get back the old Kohaku, the real Kohaku.

When she started to howl and shriek and cry, he knew it was too late. She was crazy again and it was his fault.

Grudgingly he let go of her and she stopped kicking. He threw on of her arms over his shoulder and made her lean on him. There was no point in it now. He had to bring her back to Master Tsunade. Surely he'd be rebuked for this.

Somewhere along the way back to the hospital, Kohaku's eyes grew heavy. Sasuke just suddenly realized they were already closed. He thought she was asleep.

Then again, he also _thought_ she was _crazy_.

As she faked slumber, the sight she saw on the bridge. The less than two second glimpse she caught of that small glimmering thing, or rather, _things_. Before she fell in, she realized there were two, two glowing red eyes.

In the nature of Tsukuyomi, it only took a few seconds in the real world to have hours, even days, in _that_ world. A few seconds, a couple of words, was all he needed.

"_Tomorrow night."_

Unconsciously she wrinkled her eyebrows.

"_Come, please."_

In that fraction of a minute everything was clear. She need not ask Tsunade or Sasuke. She knew what had happened. She remembered it all.

And now… she had a meeting to uphold.

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pretty short huh? well, I'll be back soon. I just love to keep you hanging. That means you'll review more, right? haha 


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